Probability of Success

History

2008-09: In his WHL rookie season, Weal played in 65 games for the Pats. He scored 16 goals and added 54 assists for 70 points. Weal was named the WHL Eastern Conference’s Rookie of the Year. Won a gold medal as a member of Canada’s entry at the 2009 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Under-18 Tournament.

2009-10: In 72 games for the Pats, Weal scored 35 goals and added 67 assists for 102 points. His point total placed him third overall in the WHL. Weal played for Team Cherry at the 2010 CHL Top Prospects Game, scoring a goal for the victorious Cherry squad.

2010-11: Weal made his pro debut after signing a three-year, entry-level contract with Los Angeles in March 2011, skating in seven games with the AHL Manchester Monarchs. Prior to signing with the Kings, Weal led the WHL’s Regina Pats in scoring in his third season of junior hockey. Weal had one assist and was +1 in limited ice time with the Monarchs and did not play in the AHL playoffs. In 72 games for Regina, he scored 43 goals with 53 assists and was a team-best +13 on a Pats team that finished fifth in its division and missed the WHL playoffs.

2011-12: Weal was the fourth-leading scorer in the WHL as a 19-year-old and joined the AHL’s Manchester Monarchs at the end of the year for the second straight season. Weal was minus-one with no points or penalty minutes in two games with Manchester and did not play in the Monarchs’ playoff series with Norfolk. He had a career high 116 points in his fourth season with the Regina Pats. Weal scored 41 goals with 75 assists and was plus-31 with 36 penalty minutes. The Pats reached the WHL playoffs after finishing fourth in the East Division. In the five game playoff series with Moose Jaw, Weal scored 1 goal with 4 assists and was plus-two. Snubbed from Team Canada’s camp prior to the 2012 U20 World Junior Championship, Weal was the leading scorer for Team WHL in the two games against Russia in the Subway Super Series in November – scoring 1 goal with 3 assists.

2012-13: Weal skated in 63 games for the Kings AHL affiliate in Manchester and was the Monarchs’ fifth-leading scorer as a 20-year-old. He scored 15 goals with 18 assists and was +8 with 38 penalty minutes. The Monarchs finished third in the Atlantic Division and lost to Springfield in a first round playoff series. Weal had 2 assists and was -2 with 4 penalty minutes in four playoff games.

2013-14: Weal was the leading scorer for Los Angeles AHL affiliate Manchester in his second pro season. He scored 23 goals with 47 points skating in all 76 regular season games and was +28 with 42 penalty minutes. The Monarchs finished first in the Atlantic Division but were defeated by Norfolk in four games in a best-of-five first round playoff series. Weal had 3 assists with an even plus/minus and 2 penalty minutes in four playoff games.

Talent Analysis

Weal is an undersized but tenacious right-handed shooting center. He is hard on the forecheck and creates turnovers in the offensive zone.
A consistent scorer both at the junior level and in the AHL, he competes in all three zones. His size is a concern as he could be overmatched against the bigger, faster defenders and opposing forwards in the NHL. Weal's productivity and combativeness suggest he can contribute given the opportunity.

Future

Weal is in his third season with the AHL's Manchester Monarchs in 2014-15. He and former Yale forward Brian O'Neill, two of the league's smaller forwards, have been dominant all season for the Monarchs and are the team's top two scorers. While he has yet to receive his first NHL opportunity, Weal appears closer to reaching that level. Long-term, his success to this point suggests he can be a Stephen Gionta, Nathan Gerbe-type forward at the NHL level. His scoring ability and two-way game will likely also command big contract offers from clubs in Europe if he is not re-signed by Los Angeles following the season.

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Photo: Machester Monarchs defenseman and Los Angeles Kings prospect Kevin Gravel spent his first pro season in the AHL, posting six goals and 15 points in 58 games in 2014-15 (courtesy of Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire)

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In 2010, the Los Angeles Kings started trending in the right direction. It is not surprising that we started to see far fewer draft selections, as the team started giving up picks to acquire useful roster players for a deeper NHL lineup. 2010 marked an extreme departure for the franchise, as they had just five overall selections in the 2010 NHL Draft. That is half of what they had in 2009, and four fewer than in 2008. Be that as it may, the Kings were measured in their selection, and still covet all of these selections within their organization in one form or another. Some have made huge impacts at the NHL already and a few others are on the cusp of being impact players. Let’s take a look.

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The Los Angeles Kings have an older group of prospects, most of whom have progressed into the AHL. For that reason, the Monarchs have been a force this season. The squad clinched the Atlantic division and the top seed in the Eastern Conference. They now move into the Eastern Conference Finals of the Calder Cup playoffs in an effort to erase last year’s disappointing first round bow-out.

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Photo: Manchester Monarchs forward and Los Angeles Kings prospect Michael Mersch is tied for third in scoring in the AHL’s Calder Cup Playoffs with five goals and three assists in six games (courtesy of Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire)

The American Hockey League’s 2014-15 regular season has ended and the 2015 Calder Cup Playoffs are in mid-swing. This month’s AHL notebook will preview the Eastern Conference’s final four teams in the postseason as well as highlight some of the league’s award winners in the East. Read more»

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Photo: Manchester Monarchs forward and Los Angeles Kings prospect Jordan Weal is currently ranked fourth in scoring in the AHL with 58 points in 61 games (courtesy of Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire)

The Los Angeles Kings have prided themselves on their ability to build from within with their AHL affiliate, the Manchester Monarchs, being a prime example of talent and prospects developed into everyday NHL players. Read more»